“Orawa is the only piece in which I wouldn’t change a single note, though I have looked at it many times. [...] What is achieved in it is what I strive for – to be the best possible Kilar,” the composer said in an interview (Cieszę się darem życia [Cherishing the Gift of Life], Kraków 1997).

The title of the piece, which completes the cycle of Kilar’s “Tatra Mountain works”, brings to mind a whole range of associations. It refers not only to the geographical region situated between Poland and Slovakia, but also to the river that flows through that region. The musical progression of Orawa can be viewed as a stream flowing rapidly through rocky recesses, revealing again and again in various landscapes with their raw beauty. The title also brings to mind a highland meadow freshly scythed after sheep have been grazed there (an“oława”), where young shepherds dance their highlander robbers’ dance at the end of the summer season.

The basic components of the piece's three-section form and its changing texture are rhythm and harmony. The first section of Orawa begins with an element characteristic of the full work: a short melodic-harmonic formula repeated nine times. The essence of the structure is gradual expansion of the texture, from the initial trio to the climactic chord encompassing no fewer than five octaves. In the second section, the original motoric rhythm becomes the basis for a presentation of new thematic material – a melody carried by the solo cello. In section three, the rhythm grows increasingly dense, the harmony increasingly sharp, with the texture undergoing kaleidoscopic transformations and the musical progression gaining incredible momentum. Finally, after an overall pause, the main motivic formula based on seven notes returns – in a rhythmic augmentation and triumphant character, with the piece ending with a descending succession of sforzato chords and the characteristic highlanders’ shout of “Hey!”

This striking finale of the work, which in the words of the composer is a work for a “multiplied [highlanders’] band”, typically brings about an explosion of audience enthusiasm whenever it is performed. Along with Krzesany (1974) and Exodus (1980), Orawa is among the most frequently performed and most popular of Kilar’s “hits”. It has been presented in concert halls in its original version, and also in a variety of arrangements, including for string quartet, for twelve saxophones, accordion trio or eight cellos. The composition has also been used by DJs in sets which, after a performance of Orawa by the famous Kronos Quartet in Kraków, were presented during that closing concert of the Sacrum Profanum Festival in 2012.